Think of your yard as a giant sponge: The soil drinks up rainwater and distributes it
throughout the lawn to thirsty plants and trees. That's good for your lawn and the environment.

The problem is, about 50 percent of rain never reaches the lawn. It hits a driveway, sidewalk or
roof, then is whisked away to a storm sewer. From there, it's dumped into rivers and streams, where
it rips stream beds and contaminates water with road salt, lawn chemicals and oil.

Planting a rain garden helps keep rainwater where it does the most good: in your yard.

"Rain gardens are the natural way to deal with storm water on our own property," said Stephanie
Suter, habitat conservationist for Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District.

Rain gardens are shallow, bowl-shaped depressions planted with hardy perennials that soak up
large quantities of water. Rainwater is redirected into the garden from downspouts, drainage pipes
and even overflowing rain barrels. There, it seeps into soil gradually, within 24 hours.

The native flowers, grasses and sedges in rain gardens are water-tolerant and drought-resistant.
Several absorb pollutants as well, Suter said.

"They're the most tough plants; they can take up heavy metals," she said.

Bioretention - keeping runoff on a particular site - removes 60 percent to 80 percent of
pollutants such as copper, lead and zinc, according to studies by the University of Maryland.

As the plants grow, the gardens become even better at capturing water.

"The cells of the roots die over time and create pockets of air in the soil that allow the water
to move through," she said. "The infiltration of water increases over time."

Rain gardens can take any shape, can be installed cheaply and provide habitat for butterflies,
dragonflies, birds and hummingbirds, Suter said.